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Engine Specific Info and Questions => Non VW Group Diesel => Topic started by: 745 turbogreasel on April 04, 2010, 05:37:34 am

Title: 6.2l starving for fuel
Post by: 745 turbogreasel on April 04, 2010, 05:37:34 am
This is a pretty now thing, if I'm under about 1/8 tank indicated, and I rally to hard in the turns, I suck air, and sometimes stall.  Esp. going uphill.
84 Suburban, completely stock fuel system.
I have never  run out of fuel, and have previously driven to 0 on the gauge without noticing anything like this.

It is possible my gauge is changing for the worse.
Maybe something in the tank is dissolving?

Anyone run across this before?

Title: Re: 6.2l starving for fuel
Post by: maxfax on April 04, 2010, 07:37:36 am
IIRC the pickup int he tank is just a steel tube with a sock on the bottom..   My guess would be the gauge is starting to get funky...  

GM gas gauges work bass ackwards from most....  The more resistance to ground though the sending unit gives a higher reading on the gauge..  For instance, if you unplug the sender in the the tank, the gauge will peg at full..  It is possible that you just have a crusty ground causing a higher than usual gauge reading...
Title: Re: 6.2l starving for fuel
Post by: 745 turbogreasel on April 04, 2010, 06:50:12 pm
Mmm, it has been wet a lot lately.
I think I have another cluster I can borrow a gauge from, sounds like the easy place to start.
Title: Re: 6.2l starving for fuel
Post by: maxfax on April 04, 2010, 07:06:02 pm
Corrected that last post..   The MORE resistance to ground yields a higher reading..     
Title: Re: 6.2l starving for fuel
Post by: Rabbit on Roids on April 05, 2010, 11:00:20 am
Mmm, it has been wet a lot lately.
I think I have another cluster I can borrow a gauge from, sounds like the easy place to start.

probably not the cluster, i bet its something to do with the sender or the ground to the sender.
Title: Re: 6.2l starving for fuel
Post by: maxfax on April 05, 2010, 02:06:16 pm
That would be my guess as well..  I can;t remember off hand if they had a separate ground wire for the sender, or if it just grounded though the tank and such...   I know most of my old Fords just grounded though the tank.. Nightmarish for functioning gas gauges till I ran a separate grounds..
Title: Re: 6.2l starving for fuel
Post by: Rabbit on Roids on April 05, 2010, 03:02:41 pm
That would be my guess as well..  I can;t remember off hand if they had a separate ground wire for the sender, or if it just grounded though the tank and such...   I know most of my old Fords just grounded though the tank.. Nightmarish for functioning gas gauges till I ran a separate grounds..

not sure about that particular chevy, but i know the 90's style gas chevys have a separate ground from the sender to the top of the tank where all the connections are. i would just run the sender its own ground like brett was saying. the fuel pump has its own ground, but the gauge is supposed to ground through a rubber isolated tank? great plan!
Title: Re: 6.2l starving for fuel
Post by: maxfax on April 05, 2010, 05:11:52 pm
Yes, when they went to having an in tank pump there was a little ground for the gauge..   Took a look at the diagram in Alldata and it appears that the earlier Chevy Trucks do have a ground to the frame from the sending unit...